Sighting Background:
I was informed of the sighting via an e-mail report sent by the
witness to the MN MUFON website. I contacted the witness and
arranged an interview. We met approximately three weeks later and
he told me the details of his sighting, plus a number of additional
experiences he has had.

Witness Description:
The witness is a 32 year old male. He is a college graduate with a
BA degree in communications and additional training in computer
science. His occupation is as a programmer analyst for a major
financial corporation. He describes his health and his hearing as
good. He wears glasses with a very slight correction to 20/20 vision.

He indicates that he has had a number of UFO sightings and possible
close encounters throughout his life. He also indicates that he has
had other paranormal and parapsychological experiences. He has an
interest in, and a substantial knowledge of, the UFO phenomenon.
However, in my view, he seems to be quite objective and is easily
able and willing to discern a normal object from a possible anomaly.

Sighting Account:
The witness was having a late lunch at the Boston Market restaurant
in Highland Crossing Mall, on Ford Parkway and Cleveland Ave., in
St. Paul, MN. The time was 3:45PM CDT. The witness indicates that
he frequently looks up at the sky - and was doing so at that moment,
when he noticed an object which appeared out of the ordinary. A map
showing the witness' location and his viewing angle to the object is
shown below.

He initially thought that it might have been an airplane, although
it appeared to be motionless for an inordinate period of time. The
object's apparent lack of motion, and unconventional shape attracted
and held his interest. Its appearance convinced him that it was not
a balloon.

The object appeared to have a definite shape to it (see sketch).
The appearance, size, and horizontal orientation of the object
remained steady during the entire maneuver. He described the object
as white but non-reflective, like a ceramic object in the sun. There
were no visible features to it, except for an apparent division
between the top and bottom parts.

Being inside the restaurant, the witness was unable to hear any sound
the object might have made. The object remained motionless for
approximately 4 to 5 minutes as he watched. When first noticed, the
object was approximately "three to four fist widths" [fist held at
arms length] above the building skyline (the top of the Highland
Theater on Cleveland Ave defined the skyline in that direction).

After remaining motionless for several minutes, the object slowly
descended at a 45 degree angle to the right (as described in
sketch). The elapsed time for the descent appears to be
approximately 20 to 30 seconds. At a point approximately 1 "fist
width" above the skyline, it abruptly began to ascend. While
remaining seated, he followed the object with his eyes until it
disappeared behind the awning. With some effort, he was able to
gain a vantage point allowing him to follow it further, until it
reached (and apparently passed behind) a small cloud. The
witness lost sight of the object at an elevation of approximately
45 degrees. He estimated that the vertical motion was at least
twice as fast as the descent, and took about 5 seconds.

Additional Witnesses:
No additional witnesses are known to MN MUFON. However, the sighting
occurred in a populated area. It is therefore likely that there
were other witnesses to this object. The witness also indicated that
several other people were in the restaurant when he was there.
However, he indicated that felt uncomfortable with the idea of
bringing a possible UFO to the attention of these particular strangers.

Natural Phenomena Check:
No known natural phenomena would fit the description of this object
and its behavior.

Manmade Phenomena Check:
There are several possibilities of artificial objects to be considered:

Aircraft: The witness initially felt that this was what the object was.
However, the long period in which the object appeared stationary, as well
as the very sharp turn at the bottom of its descent are not consistent
with aircraft descriptions. He is also familiar with aircraft appearance
at distance, and felt that this object did not resemble one.

Balloon: The witness also considered this explanation. The described
behavior might be consistent with a balloon if the object was considerably
closer than indicated. The wind was blowing from the northwest, and a
balloon being caught in wind gusts might partially explain the erratic
flight path of the object. However, the object was clearly visible to the
witness (see sketch above) and he clearly indicates that its shape and
orientation did not resemble that of a balloon. In addition, the witness
believes that the object passed behind a cloud, which would have been too
far away to allow for this hypothesis (see analysis below).

Analysis:
It is possible to calculate approximate distances, sizes and speeds for this
object, based upon the witness' description of its apparent passage behind
the cloud. (Note: All velocities are taken to be perpendicular to the
witness.)

Object Distance:
Assume that the cloud was at an approximate altitude of 5000 feet, and that
the cloud's angle of elevation was approximately 45 degrees. This sets a
probable minimum distance to the object at a point within or behind the cloud
as follows: 5000 ft * (square root of 2) = approx 7000 ft. All calculations
will assume this distance.

Object Size:
The witness indicated that the object was about 1/2 thumb width, giving an
approximate width/distance of one half thumb width / arms length = approximately
0.5 inches / 25 inches = 0.02. Multiplying this estimated distance times this
ratio gives a length estimate of: 7000 ft * 0.02 = 140 feet. From the witness'
sketch, the thickness to length ratio appears to be 1/5 giving a thickness of
about 28 feet.

Object Downward Velocity:
The speed of the object can be calculated based upon angular movement relative
to the observer. The witness describes the object as descending at a 45 degree
angle. The initial angular height was "Three fist widths". Assume that a fist
width = approximately 5 inches at an arm's length distance of 25 inches = a ratio
of 1/5 = 0.2. At a distance of 7000 ft, this would give a height of about 3 *
0.2 * 7000ft. = 4200 ft, or about 4/5 mile. The final elevation was about 1 fist
width = 0.2 * 7000 ft = 1400 ft. Thus the vertical drop was about 2800 ft.

The time required for descent was about 20 sec. Assuming that the object
descended from approximately 4200 ft to approximately 1400 ft at a 45 degree
angle, the descent speed can be estimated as approximately:

Upward Velocity Estimates:
The witness estimated the ascent from the bottom of its trajectory to the 45
degree elevation point to occur in about 5 seconds, at a constant rate. He
also stated that he felt the ascent speed was at least twice that of the descent
speed. This gives both a lower estimate and an upper estimate of the velocity.

The lower velocity estimate of twice the descent speed would be approximately:

2 * 135 mi/hr = 270 mi/hr.

The upper estimate on the velocity based upon his estimate of a five second
ascent would be approximately:

In either case, if the distance scales assumed in this analysis are correct,
and if the turn at the bottom of the object's flight path was as sharp as
described, the change in velocity would require extremely high acceleration
of the object.

Note: An "unexplained" evaluation assumes that the object passed behind the cloud,
thus setting lower bounds on the distance scale. However, the witness was not
absolutely sure of its passing behind the cloud. Therefore the conclusion is
given as "Probable" Unexplained.

Date of Sighting: August 20, 1997
Time: 10:45 PM CDT +/- 15 Min
Type of Event: FB1
Duration: about 20 Minutes
Place of Sighting: Canterbury Park - Shakopee, MN
Local Evaluation: Possible Unexplained.
(subsequently revised to "Possible IFO")
Significance: Ordinary
Investigator: Craig R. Lang, Field Investigator, MN MUFON
Sighting Account:
The witnesses were leaving the "Lilith Fair" concert at Canterbury Park in
Shakopee, MN. The time was about 10:30 or 11:00 PM CDT on Wed 20 Aug, 1997.
The primary witness looked up and observed six "strange looking clouds" in
formation, about 45 degrees up in the southwestern sky.
The clouds appeared to be in a nearly circular formation, and each appeared
to be circular in shape (with cloudlike fuzzy edges). They appeared to be
illuminated by the nearly-full moon. The primary witness estimated the size
of each to be about the width of the thumb at arms length.
Witness' sketch of approximate appearance of objects.
The second witness suggested that the objects were searchlights on the clouds,
but the primary witness felt that these were actual objects, perhaps
illuminated by the moon. There was no apparent sound or other effects from
the objects (although the rock festival was still going on, and the noise level
was relatively high in the parking lot).
Map of sighting area showing witness walking path, departure path of car
and initial and final views to object.
They continued to observe the objects as they left the concert grounds and walked
across the parking lot to their car. The "clouds" had an "imperceptible" motion
over the 20 minutes they saw them. As they left the parking lot, they observed
them to be in the south, at about 35 degrees elevation, indicating a west to east
motion. The objects' shapes and formation had not changed. Their last view to
the object was shortly after their car had turned left onto the road after
departing the parking lot
Additional Witnesses:
Her room mate also saw these objects - I have not yet interviewed her in detail,
but asked her about this over the phone. They also pointed these objects out
to other people in the parking lot, who also thought that they were strange.
Weather Conditions:
The moon was one day past full. The witnesses describe weather as clear and
muggy, with a few clouds in the sky. The following is the weather information
from the state climatologist's office:
Temp: 16 degrees C
DewPt: 14 degrees C (note: relatively high humidity)
Winds: 4 knots from 320 degrees (from the Northwest)
Cloud Ceiling and Type: 9000 ft broken (probably altocumulus) - Note:
possible lenticular clouds
Visibility: 10 Mi + (unlimited)
Manmade Phenomena Check:
The description of the objects does not appear to match any manmade craft.
The witness' room mate indicated that she felt the objects were searchlights,
which does not appear to be compatible with the witness's description of them.
Natural Phenomena Check:
A possible explanation considered is that the objects were, in fact, clouds.
However, the objects remained in a perfect circular formation for about 20
minutes, and appeared to be anomalous to the witnesses. The geometric precision
which the witness described seems remarkable for a natural formation.
FB1, Originally listed as "Possible unknown", subsequently revised to "Possible IFO".
Significance: Ordinary
[CL Note: Subsequent to the original submission of this report, it
was learned that the sighting may be explainable in terms of a
projected light formation from Mystic Lake Casino. While this was
not initially believed to be the cause of the sighting, subsequent
analysis suggests that this explanation is plausible. This sighting
is important primarily in the context of the witness' other sightings
and experiences.]
Return to Main Witness' report

Type of Report: MA1
Date of Report: 01 Oct, 1997
Investigator: Craig R. Lang - Field Investigator, MN MUFON
Date of Sighting: 26 Aug, 1997 - 21:06 CDT
Place of Sighting: South Minneapolis
Local Evaluation: MA1, unexplained, normal significance
Sighting Background
Minnesota MUFON was informed of this sighting via e-mail sent by the witness to
the webmaster. The report was to me. I then contacted the witness to arrange
an interview. Approximately one week later I interviewed the witness regarding
this and another sighting (Bemidji, MN Summer 1982 CE1 - investigation in progress).
Witness Description
The witness is a 25 year old male. His occupation is as a PC computer network
administrator. He is currently a freelance consultant. He has an associate degree
in electronics, with additional training in computer network administration. He is
married and lives in south minneapolis. (Note: The sighting was from his home.)
His vision is described as correctable to 20/20 with glasses. His hearing is good.
He describes his health as good, although on the night of the sighting, he had taken
a fall and bruised several ribs. He was taking ibuprophen for the injury at the time.
Sighting Account:
The sky was clear to partly cloudy and stars were clearly visible (to the extent
possible in an urban environment). The witness was walking his dog, in his
back yard, and was staring up at the sky. Looking east, he noticed a star about
45 degrees above the horizon (at about the location of the stars Markab and
Alpheratz in Pegausis). The object had a brightness rivaling the magnitude of Jupiter,
but of a whiter color. He first thought that it was a planet. However, after about
two minutes, as he watched, the object began to move, which surprised him [CL Note:
this occurred about two minutes after he first noticed the object].
As he watched with growing curiosity, the light moved to the right (south) for about
20 degrees in about 4 to 5 seconds. The object then abruptly changed directions -
the witness felt that it was now moving straight up. The object crossed about 20
degrees of sky (moving toward the west from the witness's perspective). As it
ascended, the object faded, eventually being lost to view.
The witness described the flight path as smooth. The light did not vary as it
moved (except as it faded toward the end of the sighting) .
Aftermath:
The witness continued to watch the sky for another 5 minutes or so. He then saw
two lights moving in a north-south direction. One was moving north toward the
northern horizon, the other moving toward the southern horizon. Both objects faded
from view after a few minutes. He thought that these were notable in the context
of the first sighting although their descriptions would be consistent with that of
satellites.
Additional Witnesses:
None are known, although anybody stargazing at approximately that location at that
time of night would have seen this object. Thus, the possibility of additional
witnesses exists.
Weather Conditions: - WX report for 21:00 CDT from National Weather Service
Temperature: 72 degrees F. Dew Point: 67 degrees F. (note: very humid)
Visibility: 10 miles + (unlimited)
Cloud Cover ~50%, no cieling (some altocumulus at 15K ft, cirrus clouds at
22K, 25K ft)
Wind Speed: 4MPH from 230 degrees
Radar Check:
A check of FAA radar records indicates no unusual events.
Natural and Manmade Phenomena Check:
No known phenomenon, either natural or manmade, could execute the maneuver which
the witness described. A "satellite" explanation was evaluated. However, the turn
which the object performed would argue against this explanation. Also the turn as
described by the witness seems to be too sharp and abrupt for the object to be
explainable as an aircraft.
Sighting Evaluation:
Type: MA1 (Nocturnal Light)
Evaluation: Unexplained
Significance: Normal
Appendix A: Witness Sketches
Click here for Sketch of sighting area layout.
Click here for Sketch of witness view of object/flight.

Date of Sighting: 22 Sep, 1997
Place of Sighting: Rural Frazee, MN
Local Evaluation: CE1 - Unexplained.
Significance: Moderate to High
Type of Report: CE1, Nocturnal Lights at close to intermediate range
Date of Report: 16 Dec, 1997
Investigators: Craig R. Lang - Field Investigator, MN MUFON
Dr. Steven T. Hero - FIT and Consultant, MN MUFON
Sighting Background:
I was informed of the sighting by Dr. Steven T. Hero, a consultant to MUFON,
who is also a MUFON FIT. He called me to indicate that the witnesses, who
are relatives of his, had observed an object on 22 Sep, 1997. I contacted
the witnesses and interviewed them on 30 Sep, 1997. Steve Hero visited the
sighting location to investigate the sighting circumstances. The subsequent
followup investigation has resulted in this report.
Witness Description:
The witnesses to this sighting are a couple, who reside in White Bear Lake,
MN. They also maintain a trailer home on her family's property near Frazee,
MN, where the sighting occurred.
The primary witness is a 67 year old female. She is a retired property manager.
Her education level is one year of college, plus special training in property
management. The secondary witness is an 82 year old male. He is a retired
police/criminal investigator. His education level is a college degree, plus two
years of law school, with special training in police investigation.
Both witnesses are in good health, which was not affected by the sighting.
Both indicate that their hearing is good, and their vision is correctable to
20/20. He indicates that he has a slight degree of color blindness.
Sighting Account:
The two witnesses to this sighting maintain a trailer on land near Frazee, MN,
as a summer home. At approximately 11:30 PM on the night of 22 Sep, 1997,
the primary witness was awakened by a loud noise. Thinking that it was due
to raccoons disturbing a roll of sheet aluminum which she had in the front
yard, she looked out the kitchen window, to see if she could see them. She saw
no animals, but instead observed a brilliant light about two to three blocks
away. The light appeared to be over a field to the north of the farmhouse across
the road from their trailer (see map below).
Click here for: Map of sighting area, depicting
location of main object and surrounding buildings.
She initially felt that she might have been seeing some new lights, perhaps
installed by the farmer across the road. However, she could see the source
of the light through a clearing in the trees, and realized that this was not
it. She subsequently thought that it might be an airplane, perhaps about to
crash. She then realized that it was not this either.
Click here for sketch by primary witness depicting
her view of the object(s) over farmhouse. [Annotation by CL.]
The object appeared to her to be a collection of five brilliant white lights,
nearly painful in intensity, largely diffused into one lenticular-shaped object.
They were extremely bright, and appeared to be radiating bluish colored beams
in all directions. She could not discern any other structure associated with
the lights. She felt that the size of the object was about that of a house.
It hovered motionless and appeared to illuminate the entire field.
About 20 minutes after seeing the initial object, she noticed that to its right
three smaller lights had appeared, arranged in a triangle, with one light above
the other two. These lights were bright, and were round in shape. The lights
appeared to her to be hovering motionless above the farm house. She watched
the objects through the kitchen window (see sketch of trailer below). After
about 10 minutes, the highest light moved rapidly to the left, merging into the
main object. The other two lights remained in place. She opened the kitchen
window to determine if there was any sound, but could hear none.
Click here for witness sketch of window layout as
seen from inside trailer. View looks east toward sighting. [Annotation
by CL.]
She indicated that she was both fascinated by the object, and very frightened
by it. She awakened her companion, periodically urging him to look at the
object. [Note: During the time she was attempting to do this, the three
additional lights appeared]. When he awakened, he looked at them and first
indicated that he felt the object was a helicopter. He then felt that it was
probably due to the lights from the Perham airport, about 8 miles to the
southeast.
The following sketch shows his impression of the object.
Click here for sketch of main object by second
witness [with CL annotation].
He also saw smaller lights [CL Note: not sure if these were the same three
lights which she described] and felt that these were perhaps associated with
the nearby railroad tracks. He then went to bed, while she continued to watch
the object. She indicates that she then went from window to window, watching
it from several different locations within the trailer, but was too frightened
to go outside for a clearer view.
At about 1:00 AM, still frightened, she went to bed. She lay there trying to
compose herself for 20 minutes, then got up again to watch the objects. When
she looked again, at about 1:30 AM, the two remaining lights were now at about
ground level, either on the road, or in the surrounding field. Also, at that
time, the large object moved slowly to the right, toward the farm house, until
it was directly above the location of the lights. She again went from window
to window attempting to get a better view.
At about 2:45 AM, she felt that the lights on the ground were now approaching
the trailer. They seemed to be bouncing as if they were mounted on as vehicle.
She hoped that they were a vehicle, perhaps belonging to a neighbor. However,
the lights seemed too bright and too far apart to be his truck.. She again
became extremely frightened, and again went to bed to try and compose herself.
She also noted that she slept extremely soundly until 8:00AM that morning [CL
Note: Her change from a state of extreme fear to a sound sleep is very notable].
Aftermath:
Dr. Hero visited the site approximately two weeks after the sighting. He
checked for possible ground traces and found none. He also talked to the
neighbors who live just to the north of the apparent position of the object.
The house has a view of the field where the object apparently hovered. The
residents indicated that they did not observe any unusual lights or object(s).
However, the witness indicated that they usually have their drapes drawn,
thus the object would most likely not have been visible to them.
Additional Witnesses:
None are known beyond the two witnesses indicated in this report. It is possible
that either the residents of the farm house across the road from the witness,
or the witness' neighbors to the north could have seen the object. Neither were
home at the time of Dr. Hero's field visit, and thus were unable to be interviewed.
A future visit to the area may establish this. In addition, the object might
well have been visible to motorists on Highway 10, about a mile away.
Weather Conditions: (WX Info from state climatologist's office for Detroit
Lakes, 11:15 PM - 22 Sep, 1997)
Temperature: 11 degrees C. Dew Point: 8 degrees C.
Cloud Ceiling: Clear below 12,000 ft. (Cloud type unknown, if any clouds present)
Wind: 6 Knots from 30 degrees (approx NE) Visibility: 10 Mi+ (Unlimited)
Note: I also asked about weather information at 1:00 AM on 23 Sep, 1997 It was
indicated that 11:15 PM was the last reading, after which the weather station
was not functioning until 9:00 AM CDT.
Natural and Manmade Phenomena Check:
No phenomena, either natural or manmade, would appear to explain this event.
However, the following are a number of hypotheses which the investigators have
considered:
Hypothesis 1) Distant lights (or moon) on clouds: The duration of the phenomenon
argues against this. Over the two-plus hours of the sighting, the Moon and/or
clouds would have moved in sky. In addition, the main object the witness
described seems too bright to be explained by this theory.
Hypothesis 2) Some form of plasma or corona. This area is extremely swampy,
and the night was relatively humid. Thus, the object could conceivably have been
some form of power line corona, etc. However, again, the duration of the
sighting and the behavior of the object as it moved over the farm house in
the latter part of the sighting, and of the accompanying three lights, would
argue against this hypothesis.
Hypothesis 3) Lights from trains or from railroad work: This was suggested by
the neighbors living immediately to her north, and by the second witness as a
source of the smaller lights. While it is conceivable, the primary witness
indicated that there was not a clear view to the railroad tracks from the
trailer. Also, train lights would not remain in place for such an extended
duration and would not appear so high in the sky. The described behavior would
also argue against this explanation as well.
Hypothesis 4) Helicopter or other hovering craft: The second witness had
considered that the main object might have been this, although his description
did not correspond to any known configuration. However, the primary witness
indicated that she heard no sound from the object, which she felt was only a few
blocks away from her. She indicated that it lit up the field, suggesting a
close proximity. A helicopter that close would have very loud.
Hypothesis 5) Reflection or Refraction on Window: After his visit to the site,
Dr. Hero suggested the possibility of a reflection or refraction of some other
light on double pane windows. However, the primary witness indicated that she
observed object through screens and through an open window at least once during
the sighting.
Hypothesis 6) Distant City or Airport Lights: There is an airport, about eight
miles away in Perham, MN. However, this is not in the correct direction to
account for the lights seen. In addition, the town of Frazee is to the north
of the sighting area, and also would not have been in the correct direction to
account for the lights.
Hypothesis 7) Misidentified Astronomical Bodies: A half-moon was rising in the
approximate direction in which she first saw the object. Further, the witness
indicates that she did not notice the Moon at the time she saw the object.
Thus, this might be considered as a possible explanation. However, the witness
indicates that she has seen the moon from this location before, and this looked
nothing like it. (Dr. Hero did not think it likely that either of the witnesses
would misidentify an object such as the moon in such a way). Also, the primary
witness observed the object as being stationary for about three hours, during
which time the moon would have risen from the horizon to approximately 35
degrees elevation. In addition, the Moon would not account for the observed
behavior of the object during the latter stages of the sighting.
It was also suggested that the lights approaching the trailer might have been
misidentification of the stars Sirius (Magnitude -2, exactly on the horizon in
the east-southeast), and Procyon (Magnitude 0.5, 6 degrees elevation, due East).
These would be in about the right direction at about that time (3:00 AM). However,
at about midnight, when the witness initially saw the three lights, only the
star Aldebaran (magnitude 1.1) was present at the indicated azimuth and elevation.
Thus, this explanation can not fully account for all of the anomalous lights
observed.
Sighting Evaluation:
Local Evaluation: CE1 - Unexplained
Significance: Intermediate to High
In my view, this event appears to be unexplained. Based upon the clear
description of the object(s) and the duration of the sighting, I would classify
this event as a close encounter of the first kind. It should be noted that there
is a degree of ambiguity regarding the events at the latter parts of the sighting.
This could possibly indicate that missing time occurred during the latter stages
of the event. Should the witness(es) be so inclined, this could be pursued as a
followup investigation.
Since no additional neighbors have yet been located who might have observed
the object, I suggest that an intermediate significance be assigned to the sighting.
If additional neighbors (principally those in the farm house across the road)
also observed the object, or if followup investigation were to determine that a
CE4 took place, the significance would then be considered high.